Shift-key mechanism.



PATENTED AUG. 2, 1904.

F. X. WAGNER. SHIFT KEY MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 12, 1903.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

N0 MODEL.

INVENTOR ,4 ATTORNEYS WITNESSES No. 766,299. PATENTED AUG. 2, 1904. F. X." WAGNER.

SHIFT KEY MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 12, 1903. no noun. 2 SHEETS-SHEBT 2.

W/TNSEE: //v VENTOI? 3M fi m 5M A 7TORNEYS Patented August 2, 1904.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANZ X. VAGNER, OF NEXV YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO UNDERWVOOD TYPElVRlTER COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEV JERSEY.

SHIFT-KEY MECHANISM.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 766,299, dated August 2, 1904. Original application filed July 5, 1902, Serial No. 114,362. Divided and this application filed June 12, 1903. Serial No. 161,183.

T at ZI h/(THI/ it ntaq concern: Be it known that 1, FRANZ X. \VAe-NER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the borough of Bronx, city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shift-Key Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to shift-key mechanisms for type-writers, and has for its object I to provide a means for locking the platen in the upper position.

The invention also consists in certain features of construction and combination of parts, as will be fully described hereinafter and spe- 5 citically pointed out in the claims.

I desire it to be understood that while I have shown what I consider at present the best manner of carrying myinvention into effect various modifications may be made in the arrangement and construction of the several parts without departing from the nature of my invention.

The present application is a division of one filed by me in the United States Patent Office 5 on July 5, 1902, Serial No. 11%1,362.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a typewriting machine provided with my improve- 3 ment. Fig. 2 is a detail view from the other side of the mechanism for preventing the jarring or trembling of the carriage and to lock it in either the upper or lower positions; and Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation similar to Fig. 1, but looking from'the opposite directionand showing the various parts in a different position.

On each side of the machine is a bell-crank lever 5, fulcrumed at 6 and provided with a 4 pin 7', adapted to be engaged by a shift-key lever 8, also fulcrumed at 6. The shift-key is indicated at 9. By depressing either of the shift-keys the bell-crank lever will move forward and the rollers 10 will be raised so as to bring the front section of the carriage into the upper position. For the purpose of locking the carriage in the upper position one of the shift-keys is provided with 21.1)I0JOCi31011 (No model.)

11, adapted to move in an L-shaped slot of a locking-lever 12, fulcrumed at 12. This le- 5 ver is provided with a handle 12" and has a tendency to lean forward in the position illustrated by Fig. 1. If the shift-key 9 is depressed, the locking-lever will fall forward upon the projection 11 reaching the enlarged lower end of the slot, and thus the carriage will be locked in its upper position until the lever 12 is thrown back by hand. \Vhen this locking action is not desired,the lever 12 is thrown back entirely, so that the projection 11 will move in front of it.

To prevent the locking-lever .12 from being thrown back fully except when the shift-key 9 is in its upper position, Fig. 1, the lockinglever 12 is provided with a tongue 12", which 5 engages the projection 11 on the shift-key as the latter is depressed. Thus the locking-lever will always be in proper position for antomatically locking the shift-key unless the said locking-lever has been thrown back be- 7 fore the shift-key is depressed. The length of the tongue 12" is such that when the shiftkey is in its normal position the projection 11 is above the end of said tongue, and the locking-lever can therefore be thrown back, as explained above, if desired.

To prevent the carriage from jarring or trembling and to hold it iirmly in either the upper or lower position, the shift-keys are connected under slight lost motion with mech- S0 anism whereby the carriage-support or lifting-frame 13 is securely held in either of its two positions. For this purpose I provide a lever 1 1, fulcrumed at 15 and under the influence of a spring 16. This lever has an ob- 5 lique slot 14:, which is engaged by a pin 17 upon one of the bell-crank levers 5, so that upon the forward movement of this bell-cran k lever'the lever 14 will be swung downward against the tension of the spring 16, as best 9 shown in Fig. 3. The lever 14 has two members, one of which, 18, is arranged to engage the carriage-support or the lifting-frame 13 when the latter is in its lower position, as best shown in Fig. 2, while the other member, 19, is located at the top and is adapted to form a support for a pin 20 upon the frame 13 when the latter is in its upper position, as in Fig, 3. It will be understood that the carriage or the-platen portion thereof is thus held firmly in the upper or lower position agai-nst accidental movement without, however, interfering with the operation of the shifting-keys.

I/Vhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. Inatyp-writer or like machine, the combination with a carriage having a platen-section capable of being shifted into difierent positions, of means for shifting the platen-section, and a movable steadying device mounted directly on the frame of the machine for holding or bracing the platen-section against accidental movement relatively to the frame in either position.

2. In atype-writer or like machine, the combination with a carriage having a platen portion capable of being shifted into different positions, of means for shifting the platen-section, and a spring-pressed steadying device mounted directly on the frame of the machine for holding or bracing the platen section against accidental movement relatively to the frame in either position.

3. In a type-Writer or like machine, the combination with a carriage having a platen-sec tion capable of being shifted into different printing positions, of means for shifting the platen-section, a steadying device movably mounted on the frame of the machine for holding or bracing the platen-section against accidental movement in either of its printing positions, said steadying device being provided with a slot, an operating device for said shifting means, and a pin on said operating device projecting into the slot of said steadying device for throwing said steadying device out of action, so as to allow the platen-section to pass from one printing position to'another.

L. In a type-Writing machine or the like, the combination with a carriage having a platen- 9 section adapted to be shifted into different printing positions, of means for shifting the platen-section, a steadying device for holding or bracing the platen-section against accidental movement in either of its printing positions, and an operating device for said shifting means, which operating device is provided with means for throwing the steadying device out of action, so as to allow the platen-section to pass from one printing position to another. i

5. In atype-writer or like machine, the combination with a carriage and a shift-key for moving the platen portion of the carriage into an upper or lower position, of a locking-lever movably mounted on the frame and adapted to be shifted into or out of the path of a cooperating locking portion of the shift-key, to either allow the shift-key to return to its original position or toautomatically lock the said shift-key in its lower position, said locking-lever being provided with means for preventing it from beingthrown out of cooperative relation to said locking portion of the shift-key unless said key is in its upper position.

6. In a type-writer or like machine. the combi ation with a carriage and a shift-key for m v'ng the platen portion of the carriage into an uh or lower position, of a locking-lever movably mounted on the frame and adapted to be shifted into or out of the path of a cooperating locking portion of the shift-key, to either allow the shift-key to return to its original position or to automatically lock the said shift-key in its lower position, said locking-lever being provided with a tongue extending in advance of the path of said locking portion of the shift-key, but terminating below the said portion when the shift-key is in its upper position.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

FRANZ X. WAGNER.

WVitnesses:

JOHN LOTKA, JOHN A. KEHLENBEOK. 

